Our Story Continues...

What is the project?

Children's Area Expansion for Discipleship and Security.
Chapel for Worship and Education - All Age Groups.
Multi-use Activity Space for Teen and Outreach Ministry.
Enhanced Family and Fireside Rooms.
Office Space for Staff.
Parking Lot Repaving and Expansion.

How much will this cost?

After prayer, discussion and consultation, we believe a budget of $4.5-5 million is reasonable for our church at this time.

How will we pay for this?

We plan to use cash on hand, currently about $700,000 could be allocated.
We are considering a three year capital campaign to raise as much money as possible for this project.
If necessary, we could borrow up to $1.5 million and make payments until the debt is paid.

Why are we praying and thinking about this now?

Because:

We are here to develop followers of Jesus for life.
When there is health, there is growth.
We are nearing our attendance capacity for children, teens and adults.

Our Next Steps?

→ Congregational Survey

→ In September, after assessing our congregation’s capacity and desire, our consultant will give us a green, yellow or red light. If we have a green light, we will design an expansion that fits the recommended budget.

→ Upon board recommendation, we will vote as a church to begin a capital campaign and when to begin construction.

✔️ July 12 AM: Vision Sunday Presentation
✔️July 12 PM: Feedback Forums

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you give me a few more details on how we’ll Pay for the Project?

We plan to pay for the facility expansion and renovation by using cash on hand, donations, and a mortgage. Here is an example of what our Funding Plan could look like:

$700,000 Cash on Hand
$2,900,000 Gifts during Capital Campaign (3 years)
$1,400,000 Borrowed Funds (Mortgage)
$5,000,000 Estimated Cost of Project

What Debt Level are we comfortable with and why?

We don’t want to exceed $1,500,000 in debt because the cost of servicing those mortgage payments would interfere with our ability to fund ministries or pay staff which facilitate ministry to people.

What is the reason we have chosen Three Years to conduct the Capital Campaign?

First, because we’ve used a three-year Capital Campaign successfully in our first two expansion initiatives. Second, because our consultant, Church Growth Services, has advised us to do so again. Often, people can commit to a long-term giving initiative but enjoy knowing where the finish line is.

The Project does not propose expanding the Sanctuary. Can you explain why?

We’ve identified our most pressing needs as education and engagement space for children, teens, and adults. We currently have space for more people to join us for worship in our Sanctuary. When we are full in our Sanctuary, we can use the Chapel as an overflow. If we strategically use our Sanctuary and Chapel, we’ll be able to welcome more than 1,000 people to our Sunday morning worship services.

What is the value of adding a Chapel?

First, the Chapel will serve as a secondary worship space on Sunday mornings when we outgrow our Sanctuary. Second, we will use it weekly for Thrive, Selah, and Basecamp (teen, women, and men’s ministry). Third, funerals and weddings can be held there. Fourth, it will streamline operations since we will have less setup and tear down.

If we expand, will we have enough room for Teen and Adult Engagement/Education?

Yes! Currently, every available room is used in both hours. So, we are out of space for new options for teens or adults on a Sunday morning. If we expand, we will have several more spaces for engagement/education available. This will open up opportunities for more engagement and education options for teens and adults.

What are our plans for Engagement outside Sunday morning?

We believe Engagement, cultivating relationships of grace and truth, is key to our next major step as a church. Outside Sunday morning, we’d like to see Basecamp and Selah continue to flourish. Additionally, we’d like to see engagement grow through Life Groups, Care Ministry (i.e. Divorce Care, Sexual Integrity, Marriage Support), Mentorships, Learning Environments, and more!

If we build the proposed Project, where will our Teenagers meet for Thrive?

If we expand, we’d bring our Teen Ministry (Thrive) to the main campus. This would allow them to have the use of the Chapel for teaching and worship, the use of the Multi-Use Activity Space (Gym) for activities (especially during the winter) and much of the rest of the building for small group rooms.

How would the Multi-Use Activity (Gym) space be used?

First, the Multi-Use Activity Space (Gym) will give our teens a place to build relationships and skills. Second, on Sundays we’ll be able to use it for Engagement/Education for teens or adults. Third, it will be used by our Children’s Ministry when needed. Fourth, it will facilitate larger gatherings for church events and families. Finally, it will be used as a space for Outreach to connect with our community to build relationships and invite them to follow Jesus.

Will we need to expand our Staff and Volunteers so we can ministry to more people?

Yes! The Pastors, Personnel Team, and Board plan for staff growth to meet the needs of a growing church. From a volunteer perspective, it will take “every member doing its part” for the church to flourish. Practically, we will help members and attenders be aware of opportunities to serve and equip them to succeed in those roles.

Will Security be expanded for the new areas – especially for Children?

Yes, security will be expanded to meet the needs of a larger facility. And we will build with security in mind. This means we will have only two entrances and exits, and we will keep all children, infants through 5th grade, in a dedicated Children’s Area.

What are our plans for Parking?

To accommodate more vehicles, we will expand our parking lot to the north with 50 to 75 more parking spaces. The existing lot will likely be reconstructed to add a drainage system and repair the asphalt.

Will there be a second Exit/Entrance to the Parking Lot?

At the recommendation of our civil engineer and architect, we will maintain a single entrance and exit to Montcalm Ave for now. This is due to traffic flow and the grade of Montcalm Ave. The expansion of the entrance and exit in 2025 facilitated a larger volume of traffic.

Will this Project allow for Further Expansion Phases?

Yes, we believe this next phase of expansion will allow us future flexibility for additional expansions as needed. We have identified the space immediately west (behind) our existing Sanctuary as a good future place for a larger Sanctuary in the future.